14.3 Handover, Client Briefing and Maintenance

Quick Answer: Handover tells the client how to recognise components, how to stay safe, how the system should behave, how to spot faults, what maintenance is needed, and where the manuals, drawings and test certificates live. Scheduled maintenance includes inverter ventilation cleaning, array cleaning, DC insulation checks, cycling switchgear, and periodic inspection and testing. MCS Microgeneration Installation Database (MID) registration within 10 working days is MCS contractor practice (MCS 6.3.2), not a City & Guilds 2922-34 unit pass rule.

Information the client must receive

The 2922 handbook (v1.3) section 5.2.1 expects the installer to brief the client so a non-technical owner can live with the system. The briefing is not a sales recap. It is operational information, delivered in person where possible, with documents left on site.

Recognising components and their purpose. Walk the client to the inverter, AC isolator, DC isolator, generation meter if fitted, consumer-unit labels, and the array on the roof (from the ground). Name each item in plain language: this DC isolator disconnects the panels from the inverter; this AC isolator disconnects the inverter from the house tails. Point to the dual-supply warning so a future electrician sees it.

Health and safety during operation and maintenance. Roof work is work at height. Clients do not climb for a quick look after a storm. DC cables remain live in daylight even when the inverter is off. Isolation sequence: follow the manufacturer's shutdown sequence in the manual you leave on site. A common teaching sequence is AC isolator first (so the inverter stops exporting), then DC isolator — but the written O&M sequence for that inverter is the one you demonstrate. Never tell a homeowner to pull MC4-type connectors apart as a shutdown method.

Typical operation and how to detect faults or subpar performance. Show the inverter display or app: generating, waiting, fault. Explain that output follows sunlight, that a dark wet day is not a fault, and that a persistent fault code, a dead display on a sunny day, or a sudden drop against a previous similar day is a reason to call the installer. Show where the generation meter reading is recorded if evidence for a tariff or agreement is needed.

Maintenance needs. Who cleans what, who must not, and how often you recommend a contractor visit. Inverter fans clog in dusty cupboards. Arrays collect debris, bird nesting, and lichen. Switchgear that is never operated can seize. Be honest about what a homeowner can see from the ground versus what requires a trained person.

System manuals, drawings and test certificates. As-fitted string layout, inverter and module datasheets, BS 7671 certificates for the AC work, BS EN 62446-1 / CoP commissioning records, DNO notification (G98 or G99), warranties, and isolation procedure. Leave them in a labelled pack, not as a photo on the installer's phone.

Responses to queries. A named contact, what to do if the inverter shows a fault at night, and who to call if the dual-supply labels are needed by another tradesperson. A handover without a query route dumps the client onto a generic helpline that cannot see the as-fitted drawing.

Scheduled maintenance

Section 5.2.2 of the handbook lists scheduled items the maintenance regime should cover:

• Cleaning inverter fans and ventilation. Blocked vents cause thermal derating and nuisance trips. Isolate as the manufacturer requires before vacuuming vents; do not spray water into an indoor inverter.
• Array cleaning. Bird mess and heavy soiling reduce current. Cleaning is work at height with water-quality and warranty constraints — often a contractor task, not a homeowner with a garden hose on a wet roof.
• Checking insulation resistance of the PV array and DC circuits. Insulation can degrade. Repeat IR using the same CoP / 62446-1 voltage rules, with the inverter and SPDs isolated so the test does not damage them.
• Cycling switchgear. Operate DC and AC isolators periodically so contacts do not seize, then return them to the correct in-service position.
• General periodic inspection and testing. The AC installation remains under BS 7671 periodic I&T. The DC system remains under the PV CoP / 62446-1 inspection and test approach. Intervals are a professional judgement for the environment, not a single magic number.

WEEE when replacing equipment

Failed inverters, replaced modules, and old SPDs are waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). They are not general skip waste. Use a take-back route: manufacturer, distributor, or licensed WEEE collector. Do not leave an old inverter in the customer's hedge. Mention this at handover so the owner does not bin a replacement unit later, and so a future swap-out does not become a fly-tipped hazard.

MCS MID registration is scheme practice, not a 2922 pass rule

Where the firm is operating as an MCS certified contractor, MCS 6.3.2 requires the installation to be registered on the Microgeneration Installation Database (MID) within 10 working days. That is MCS contractor practice. It is not a City & Guilds 2922-34 unit pass regulation and it is not a substitute for handing the client test certificates. Non-MCS work still needs a proper handover. Do not tell an assessor that MID registration is how you pass 2922. Do not skip the client pack because a database entry exists.

Customer checks versus contractor tests

MIS 3002 Appendix F publishes example maintenance frequencies. Those frequencies are advisory. They are not statutory intervals under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and they do not replace BS 7671 periodic inspection of the AC installation. Agree a plan that fits the site (coastal salt, agricultural dust, and heavy bird activity all argue for shorter contractor visits than a clean suburban roof).

Scenario: handover to a non-technical homeowner

Do not hand over a 40-page PDF and leave. Stand at the consumer unit and the inverter.

1. Point to the dual-supply warning and explain that the house can still be live from the PV even if the DNO cut-out is isolated — and that a future electrician must read the labels.
2. Demonstrate the documented shutdown: typically AC isolator, then DC isolator, using the O&M sequence. Let the client operate the handles while you supervise.
3. Show what generating looks like on a bright day and what a fault code looks like in the manual.
4. Say clearly: do not walk on the array; do not pull MC4-type connectors apart; DC remains live in daylight.
5. Leave the pack: drawings, certificates, manuals, warranties, DNO reference, and your contact. If the firm is MCS, explain that MCS registration on the MID is the firm's scheme duty within 10 working days — not something the homeowner must do to make the certificate valid, and not a City & Guilds 2922 pass step.
6. Invite questions. Stay until they can find the AC isolator without you pointing.

That briefing is the difference between a system the client can live with and a phone call every time the sun goes behind a cloud. Handover is complete when the client can isolate the system, find the documents, and know who to call — not when the van leaves the driveway.